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The story introduces three male goats, sometimes identified in the story as youngster, father and grandfather, but more often described as brothers. In other renditions, there is a baby or child goat, mama goat and papa goat. In any case, there is no grass left for them to eat near to where they live, so they must cross a river to get to a "sæter" (a meadow) or hillside on the other side of a stream in order to eat and get fat. To do so, they must first cross a bridge, under which lives a fearsome troll who eats anyone who passes that way.

The smallest billy goat is the first to cross and is stopped abruptly, by the troll who threatens to "gobble him up!" The little goat convinces him to wait for another slightly bigger billy goat to come across because he is larger and a more gratifying feast. The greedy troll agrees and lets the smallest of the goats cross.

The medium-sized goat then passes next. He is more cautious than his brother, but is also stopped by the troll and given the same threat. The second billy goat is allowed to cross as well after he tells the troll to wait for the biggest billy goat because he is the biggest.

The Third Billy Goat then gets on the bridge and is stopped by the hungry troll. When the troll gets up on the bridge, however, the third billy goat is so big that he easily kicks the troll off of the bridge. The troll falls into the stream. From then on the bridge is safe, and all three goats are able to go to the rich fields around the summer farm in the hills. They all live happily ever after. The troll still lives under the bridge, but has not bothered anyone again.

Neil Gaiman adapted the story for Snow White, Blood Red, an anthology of children's fairy tales retold for adults. In Gaiman's version (entitled "Troll Bridge"), the troll approaches a young boy who has crossed his bridge and demands to "eat his life." The boy eventually persuades the troll to wait until he has lived a little more, after which he will return to the bridge. The goats in this adaptation are represented by the protagonist as a child, a teenager and finally a middle-aged man. The story was nominated for a 1994 World Fantasy Award.[7]

In the Norwegian film The Troll Hunter, the titular character attempts to bait a troll by placing three goats on a bridge.

The 2011 Kickstarter-funded film Absentia by Mike Flanagan is a modern day retelling centered around a tunnel, a series of abductions, and a troll-like creature.

There are many references to this story in English Literature including Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Lords and Ladies and Stephen King's It. The comic book "Fables" by Bill Willingham contains mention of the goats, and the troll is an ongoing character.

The tale also comes into play during the first King's Quest game. A troll is guarding a bridge Graham needs to cross. The optimum solution to the puzzle is to lure a goat over to the bridge. Upon seeing the troll, the goat is angered, and butts it into the river below.

A reference to the tale is made in the 2011 game of the year Skyrim;[8] the player character is able to see three goats running away from a bridge under which a dead troll can be found.

There is a retelling of the story in Andri Snær Magnason's children's book Tímakistan. The variant features a kid, its mother, and her husband. When the mother goat tells to troll to eat her husband instead of her, 'the troll lost his appetite. "What's the world coming to?", he cried. "The kid tells me to eat its mother, and she tells me to eat her husband! Crazy family!".'[9] The troll goes home leaving the goats uneaten.